Adrenaline

01 | lights out

        Jun, who's sitting closest to Marty, reaches up to jab him on the shoulder. "Uncle, I think you're overdue for a trip back home for a week or two. You look like you've aged three years in the past month."

        "Every day I manage you guys, I regret leaving Hawaii for this shit."

        Seira hops off the counter and skips over to Marty, leaning to peek at his phone which he pulls out of view at the last second. "Can't this wait until tomorrow morning?"

        "You mean when you're all hungover?"

        I place a hand against my heart. "You know us so well."

        He gives us all a once-over before releasing a sigh and placing his phone back in his pocket. Marty is a man of preposterous proportions and towers over every person he meets—not to mention the tribal tattoos that cover his entire arm—but he's one of the most caring people I've ever met. Family is number one in his mind, always, and ever since he started managing us, he's taken on a father figure role in our lives while we're away from home.

        "Fine, but I want us to set up a meeting before four o'clock. We have a lot of stuff to go over."

        Seira waves her hand in the air. "We'll be there. Stevie will drag us out by our hair if we're not up in time."

        "My specialty."

        Marty waves us off and wishes us goodnight before disappearing back out the door. I rush after him and catch him in the hall in front of my dressing room.

        "Wait, Marty!" I call and he stops. "I was gonna ask you if you've heard from her lately."

        Marty might not be an uncle by blood, but he's the closest thing to family I've had in a while. As my father's best friend, he stuck around after my dad passed away, and he does everything he can to help mend the bridge between my mother and me, but there's only so much he or I can do. The somber expression on his face says everything I need to know.

        "I can't wait forever for her."

        "I know. You shouldn't have to."

        Holding back tears from forming, I look up at the lights and will them to disappear. "You'd think eventually she'd support her only child trying to achieve her goals."

        Marty's eyes soften. "Whatever happens, it doesn't change that she loves you. And your father did, too. More than anything else."

        "His love as a faint memory and hers disguised behind missed calls and accusations of abandonment," I scoff. "Wonder how well that'll go over for me in therapy."

        "Stev—"

        I open the door. "Thanks, Marty. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

...

Parties in Los Angeles are all the same fallacies with different price tags. None of them reveal anyone's true colors. All they provide is a chance for the wealthy and privileged to pretend like they care an ounce about each other.

        I'm aware we now fit into this mold, but I convince myself we're the exception after a couple of shots. More often than not, Jun is the one that provides us with said shots.

        "Cheers," he says and taps his glass in the center before knocking it back.

        Everyone except Rami who doesn't drink follows suit. Most of us grimace because alcohol doesn't taste as good as most people would have me believe, but Jun is already searching for another by the time I place my shot glass down on the table.